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Mia Kerick
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Dead Sea (Mia Kerick Story Ballads Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Mia Kerick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
Standalone Coming of Age Stories

Kyle is a swaggering bully; Lenny strives to be invisible.
Kyle has been left alone in the world; Lenny is the world’s biggest loner.
When Kyle saves Lenny from drowning, their lives will never be the same.

After a brutal encounter with school bullies, Lenny swims out into the ocean, determined to let the current whisk him away. Next thing he knows the meanest kid in town is pulling him from the waves, promising to be his Dead Sea, and to never let him sink.

All Kyle wants is to get out of beach cleanup, is that too much to ask? So he goes for a swim, only to come upon the most epic “nobody” in the senior class drowning in a riptide. Lenny’s haunted gaze grips him, and Kyle makes the impulsive decision to save his life or die trying. And through this ordeal, Kyle and Lenny are transformed.

Kyle’s heroic act sets him on the straight and narrow, and he opens his heart to the young man he dragged from the ocean. Lenny changes too but is still unable to reveal the truth of his pain. While drowning in a sea of secrets, the reformed bully and wary victim fall in love. But staying afloat in the Dead Sea is not as simple as it seems.


Trigger warning: One character unsuccessfully attempts to die by suicide as is noted in the blurb. There is further discussion of death by suicide.
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  1. Book 2 of 2
    Mia Kerick Story Ballads
  2. Print length
    274 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2021
  5. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  6. File size
    1.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 2 books in this series.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite 5 Stars
"Dead Sea by Mia Kerick... is one of the best coming-of-age stories I have read in a while."

Lexie Fox for Readers' Favorite 5 Stars
"Mia Kerick delivers a story of hope, growth, and multifaceted characters. The attention to detail in the novel was wonderful, making it easy for me to feel like I was in the world and sharing the journey with Lenny and Kyle. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to fans of the genre, and those who like diverse and interesting characters."

Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite 5 Stars
"A moving tale of growing up and finding love, Dead Sea will bring joy to readers who enjoy LGBTQ romance stories. Author Mia Kerick perfectly captures the anguish and loneliness felt by teenagers suffering from issues related to identity, sexual orientation, and anxiety."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08VRY4W8V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 3, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 3, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

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Mia Kerick

Mia Kerick

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • creativedeeds
    5.0 out of 5 stars Creative Deeds Reads Review
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021
    Gah, this author. This author has a way of taking totally broken characters and piecing them back together…very, very slowly. It’s excruciating. It’s painful. And then, it’s beautiful – but it takes a while to get there. *sigh*

    One of the reasons why I loved this book so much was Kyle. Not that I didn’t adore and totally sympathize with Lenny, but… He saw saving Lennie as a turning point in his life – which it was, but there was so much more to Kyle than he let others see. There was a lot more to Kyle than he saw in himself. Kyle really had no “safe” space since the only person who really cared deserted him. No one deserved the cards that Kyle was dealt at such a young age.

    Lenny had secrets, but he had one place where he felt safe being himself. Then it was all taken away in one night and the reality that his secret would be revealed shattered him. I despise bullies and the ones that Lenny was dealing with in Dead Sea were brutal. The fact that Lenny had no one to go to, no one to support him or take up for him was heartbreaking. At times it was hard to read, but that was mostly because the “mom” in me wanted to reach out to him.

    The imagery in Dead Sea was amazing and began with Kyle’s promise to Lenny to be his “Dead Sea.” It was the first indication for me that Kyle was so much more than the bully he portrayed. I also loved the supporting characters, which included Kyle’s inner dialogue with his grandfather.

    The best kind of stories for me are those that center around characters who save each other – even when it isn’t immediately obvious that they both need saving. Dead Sea was definitely one of those stories.

    This is the second book in Mia Kerick’s Story Ballads series. I’m not quite sure how I missed Torn, but that will be rectified shortly. Stay tuned! 😉

    I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Dead Sea. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Michael
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Beautiful coming of age love story. Lenny and Kyle are wonderful with each other. Thank goodness for second chances, in all the places we find them.
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  • Reviewer Mac
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written story about friendship, redemption, and first love
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2021
    The story follows Lenny, a seventeen-year-old talented creative kid who loves to sew and dress up in costumes. After an upsetting event during which all of his secrets risk exposure, Lenny, unable to face the potential humiliation, decides to walk into the ocean and never return. Caught in a riptide, he begins to drown but is rescued by the unlikeliest of heroes: one of the school's biggest and meanest bullies, Kyle.

    It was so much fun watching Kyle transform from a bully into a caring individual who continues not only to surprise those around him but surprise himself as well. In Kyle and Lenny, we have two teenagers who have gone through difficult times but have dealt with them in different ways: Lenny by becoming nearly invisible (his nickname at school is "Zip-Lip" because he hardly ever even talks) and Kyle hiding behind his bullying facade and tough attitude. So in this way, both boys hid from the world in their own way.

    I loved seeing the transformation as both boys evolved into something more, with each discovering themselves and each other in the process. I enjoyed watching their connection strengthen as the days passed, and they both started changing, both defying society's expectations and overcoming their personal trauma. It was heartwarming how one of the school's most terrifying individuals became a hero and how this affected everyone around them — but most of all, himself and Lenny. Mia Kerick really seems to understand the teenage soul—the longing, the self-awareness, the challenges, the fear, and the confusion.

    There is real depth to this story as it delves into some pretty serious themes such as suicide, bullying, depression, parental rejection, abandonment, survival, homophobia, and fitting in, all of which the author handled expertly and compassionately. The author created here two characters that I couldn't help but care deeply for. They were well-fleshed out with a satisfying character arc. Though the book is layered with complexities of identity and societal expectations, ultimately, Dead Sea ends being a beautifully written story about friendship, redemption, and first love.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Deanna M
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes, salvation comes in the most unexpected ways.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021
    Kyle and Lenny come together when they both are in need of a savior the most. Kyle's "friends" are everything I'm teaching my kids to never be. They are full of hate, they enjoy tormenting and ruining other people's lives. These are the type of kids that us, as parents, hope our children never have to deal with. Lenny becomes the next unfortunate victim of these kids. Being "different" is difficult while trying to survive high school, and Lenny had thought he found a safe way to occasionally let that part of him out. It only took seconds for his safe haven to be corrupted, for his bullies to find the type of ammunition to make him desperate for a permanent escape. Kyle is in the right place at the right time. He becomes Lenny's hero, and repeatedly does so throughout the book. His mom is a disgusting woman, the only person he believes cared for him is gone, and he feels so utterly alone. Rescuing Lenny changes so many things in Kyle's life. They formed a bond, they accepted one another, and then they fell in love. While graduation turns out to be devastating, and heartbreaking for Lenny, the friends he made at his safe haven offer him the support he needs. The way they so easily, and openly, accepted him was like a warm hug to my sad heart. Things are a bit of a mess for a minute, but when something is meant to be, we always find our way, and Kyle and Lenny are finding their way.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Dawn Barrell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Emotional, Heart Wrenching Story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Another beautiful heart wrenching story by Mia Kerick about the difficulties encountered by Lenny and Kyle in their young lives leading up to their graduation. Lenny grew up knowing he was different, not just gay but he could only express himself by making himself costumes of people or characters he admired and wearing them. He lived his life in silence not opening up to anyone even his mother gaining him the nickname from the school bullies of zip lip Lenny which became Zippy. Kyle was one of the school bullies but learning about his awful life, his father left before he was born, his mother hates him, doesn’t look after him or feed him, is violent towards him and the only person he loves, his grampa, committed suicide and left him all alone you begin to understand him. Everything changes the night Lennie is found, in costume, in the only place he feels safe being himself Marco’s Playroom, a gay bar, by two of the school bullies. The next day he has a moment of despair and walks into the sea only to change his mind but gets caught in a riptide. Kyle spots him and endangers his life to rescue him. This leads to deep and meaningful changes for them and the closeness and trust building between them is a beautiful thing. I cried loads as they had to cope with hate, revenge and viciousness and although I loved both characters it was Kyle who I cried for, for the sweet, lonely, neglected, hungry boy he tried to hide. I also loved Gus the bouncer and Elena the barmaid, true friends of Lennie’s who knew all about coping in the cruel world if you are different. This book rips your heart out and then mends it and I really recommend you read it.
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  • XG
    5.0 out of 5 stars WOW...just...WOW!
    Reviewed in Mexico on March 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is probably the best I have ever read on this topic. The author managed to write a literal ballad to life, love and friendship. The plot is so beautifully written that even the most difficult parts to read kept the spark of hopeness and light that made the whole story so emotional and enjoyable. I cried and laughed and sighed in every single page. Simply WOW...
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  • sarah mitcham
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hiding in plain sight
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    High school senior Lenny keeps to himself and has no friends at High school, he doesn't fit, he's different and he doesn't know where he wants to go after graduation. He is targeted by two of the school bullies and is so scared he takes drastic action and is saved from that decision by Kyle. With only two weeks to go to graduation they become close and start to help each other cope with their issues.
    Young adult, MM contemporary romance, pageturner. Triggers- suicide attempt and talk of a previous suicide.
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  • Jade Grice
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I loved Kyle and Lenny's chemistry. Kyle became a better person after he saved Lenny's life. And I think Lenny learnt some important things from Kyle too. An great read.
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